The letter from Maurice Packham (Letters, March 10) about the overdevelopment of the Sussex countryside certainly struck a chord with the residents of Ferring and Goring.

We have seen surveyors working on behalf of national house builders, Persimmon Homes, in both parts of the iconic Goring Gap, which separates Ferring from the town of Worthing.

Now we have been made aware of a plan which lays out details of a possible development of nearly 400 homes in the north part of the gap between North Ferring and the area of Goring railway station – 60 of these would be within the parish of Ferring and the remainder in the Worthing section of the gap.

These are strategic gaps and they are there for a reason.

They separate communities so they retain their own identities and provide a green lung for activities and wildlife. Roads are congested, doctors’ surgeries and schools are struggling to cope and both areas are subject to flooding.

These are all good reasons for no development to take place.

If a planning application is forthcoming, however, we trust our elected representatives will reject it.

We do have a great fear of how the Government might react to this. The Government should know, though, that in just over a year there will be a general election, and an opportunity for people to let their feelings be known.

David Bettiss, vice chairman, Ferring Conservation Group